Know Thyself

We are all uniquely created to possess different gifts. Once you recognize and understand your own talents, it’s easy to become comfortably devoted to the things you know you are good at, areas where you know your strengths shine. As a leader, you are required to be a jack of all trades in a sense, or at least a jack of all knowledge. And that’s the key – knowledge.

Know what you aren’t good at.

Recognize areas where you need help, tasks that you feel suck the life slowly out of you. And give those tasks away. Something that may be a miserable chore for you may bring life and joy and peace to someone who is eager to serve. Chances are, by doing something you hate, you are robbing someone else of an exciting opportunity just to get involved.

The truth is that you don’t actually have to know everything. You just need to identify the things that only you are able to accomplish – the unique role that you serve within the team – so you can focus your energy accordingly. And you need to be aware of what you don’t know, so you can fill that role with someone who does.

Being a competent leader isn’t about being good at everything. If you try to do it all, your energy will be spread so scarcely in so many places and you will end up accomplishing very little. Constantly evaluate what it is the Lord is calling you specifically to achieve, and be faithful to that. Whatever else needs to get done can be done by others, so find people who are passionate about doing the things that you don’t have the time or skill to address.

I struggle to convince myself at times to fix something that isn’t broken, but I am learning again and again that good is the enemy of best. We may spend our time doing useful things, but ask yourself if you are spending your time doing the most useful thing, the thing that will really make a difference. The thing that no one else has thought of or that no one else has time to do.

Train yourself to have vision, and invite others into it. Know that it’s okay to start small. You don’t have to change the world or build Rome in a day. But like almost any skill worth having, the craft of creating and casting vision can be cultivated. It takes practice.

You will fail sometimes. But don’t let failure keep you from dreaming, from pushing the ball forward, from taking risks that could lead to great rewards.

Ask yourself how you are pushing forward God’s mission. If you are too busy maintaining you will have no time to progress, to change, to develop. Complacency and comfort always get in the way of innovation, and we are called to advance the kingdom of God.

We are all parts of one body and one church, but God has gloriously created each of us to fit uniquely and perfectly into the role He has laid out for us in advance, preparing good works for us, that we may walk in them with faith (Eph. 2:10). We are called to serve His team for His mission, leveraging what we have as only we can, for the glory of God.